Catch

Luke 5:6-11 (New International Version)

⁶When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

⁸When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" ⁹For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." ¹¹So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Peter's problems changed pretty rapidly: from no catch at all, to so many fish that two boats were sinking before his eyes.

For him, it was the outcome of obedience. He put his nets in on the other side...when the easiest thing in the world would have been to throw out all of the reasons something as simple as that could not work.

But it did.

And Peter realized that he was in the presence of someone "almighty."

"Get away from me, I'm a sinful man." Do those words ring a bell?

They are the same words said by Isaiah, the words that we considered in this blog on Monday. Peter and Isaiah, two giants of the Judeo-Christian tradition, were so deeply aware of their own sinfulness that they did not want God to remain in their presence.

But they were the ones God had chosen.

Why them?

Why not?

Why not you or me?

"With God, all things are possible."

Grace & Peace,

Adam